Mandalay Canal is known as the best kept secret of Irving, Texas. Many vacationers are unaware of the slice of Europe that can be found along Mandalay Canal in Texas. Many find that Irving's Mandalay Canal is reminiscent of Italy. Irving is a planned community with business developments. There are many steel office buildings, restaurants, and an Omni Hotel in the area. Las Colinas or the Colonies is next to Irving, and it is hard to tell where one city ends and the other begins. Las Colinas is filled with condos and apartment communities.

What draws vacationers to this spot is learning about Mandalay Canal. Mandalay Canal is actually manmade. It was formed to connect to the manmade lake that many homes and businesses sit around. It is the canal that brings the air of Italy with it. The canal was created with cobblestones. It is treed lined and has many European emporium shops. The European Market appearance and feel is comfortable and enjoyable for the guests to the area.

Some of the original shops are no longer open on Mandalay Canal. Instead they have been turned into more modern locations that are no longer retail shops. The water taxi service is no longer running, but a light rail service is now there. Much of Mandalay Canal has lost its original luster, but it is still a place for visitors. The evolution of the area has made it more futuristic than renaissance Italy in the last year or two.

The location of Mandalay Canal is near Dallas/ Fort Worth. One must drive along LBJ or 635 Freeway to the Valley View exit east of the major city airport. It is easy to find once vacationers learn of it. The canal has street and garage parking spots. The weekends will find the canal mostly closed, since non retail businesses are lining the streets. To really see what the place has to offer guests should be out and about on the weekdays. Many of the restaurants and other areas will be filled with people.

Around the actual Canal and buildings are new places. In fact Irving is filled with skyscrapers that make it look more futuristic. The office buildings tend to gleam in the sun during the day. The buildings house businesses like Exxon, GTE, Quaker State, Caltex, Sprint, and TransAmerica. Around these buildings are now 70,000 houses for the residents working in the corporations.

While in the areas visitors should take advantage of the free options. For example there is the Pioneer Plaza Cattle Drive, Outdoor Sculpture Tour, Art Garden, Mustangs Sculpture, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Spanish Art at the Meadows Museum, and Arts District Stroll. Along Mandalay Canal is a running and walking path. It is lined with trees and one of the more picturesque ways to see the canal. Another place to visit is the Farmers Branch Historical Park for a walk and picnic near Mandalay Bay. Even though some of the area is business, there are still peaceful places to find.